


Tomorrow and Every Tomorrow

by tlzts



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Reality, multiple POVs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-26
Updated: 2014-07-26
Packaged: 2018-02-09 07:23:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1973982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tlzts/pseuds/tlzts
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zayn likes being first and Liam likes to know about things. As long as they get what they want, everything else falls into place, doesn’t it? </p><p> OR </p><p>Zayn and Liam should have known they were always going to end up together, and this is the story of how they have fallen in love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tomorrow and Every Tomorrow

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first Ziam fic. 
> 
> Two albums (which helped with the writing process), two songs (neither from said albums, but both of which helped create the basis for this fic), and the recurring thought of creating a canon-compliant Ziam fic and putting it into words all motivated me to write this story. 
> 
> One of the two songs I mentioned above is ‘Not A Bad Thing,’ by Justin Timberlake, which inspired this fic tremendously. I loved the song from the moment I first heard it. It’s where the title comes from and it made the writing process quite easy. I encourage you to listen to the song before, after, or while reading. Also, every section starts out with a lyric from the song in bold that best embodies the POV or mood of the section. 
> 
> I hope you like the story. 
> 
> A special thank you to Derek and Reece:  
> Derek, having your support while writing meant so much to me and apparently, we can be cheerleaders for each other, haha. Thank you for helping me sort out some of the confusing parts that resulted from late night writing sessions. You are truly awesome. Everyone, please go read his WIP, Office Days. It's a Resident Evil AU. If you don't know anything about it, have someone give you some background and then go read it.  
> Reece, I wanted you to be one of the first people to read this the moment I started writing. You have rec'd me so many fics and I'm insanely grateful. My timing wasn't the greatest though, huh? Ugh, I'm sad about that. But, still, thank you and you're one of the coolest guys ever. 
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I do not know the boys. While this is canon-compliant, this is entirely fictional.

**“I know people make promises all the time/Then they turn right around and break them”**

First of all, Zayn liked being first. For anything and everything. Placing first, coming in on top, and being called the leader… he loved it all. And he always remained humble when he did manage to be number one.

He is as competitive as one could possibly get. In school, he always had to read the assigned story the fastest and understand it the most. With friends, he liked having the coolest clothes, but with trends flying by, it was hard to keep up with them. Zayn prided himself on being the person his loved ones came to for advice or for his opinions on things; he considered himself one of the greatest listeners among them. He enjoyed when things came naturally because they rarely did; it was just deeply satisfying to do things better than other people without even trying.

So, when his mother woke him up for an X Factor audition, he had no intention of going.

He knew he was never going to be the best there. Why bother?

Thousands of people would be standing there far more hopeful than he. Maybe they had even been dreaming of singing in front of the judges for years.

Sure, he liked singing, but getting another hour or two of sleep was higher on his list of priorities at the moment. Yeah, someone more deserving is sure to win and–

A hand on his shoulder pulled him out of his thoughts. “Come on, Zayn. Get dressed. I’ll give you ten minutes and then we’re leaving.”

His mother looks back at him and he is sure he has never seen that expression on her face before. It is a mixture of concern and hope, yet there is a hint of anxiety and somehow optimism.

As she walks toward the open door, she says just loudly enough for him to hear, so as not to wake his sisters across the hall, “I want this for you, Zayn.”

It’s such a simple thing to say, but he feels the love that is put into just those few words.

Her six words outweigh all those times people told him, “You’re just not good enough,” or worse, finding a talent and being told, “With a little bit more practice, you could have had something really special here.”

He ignores the depressing voices in his head and refuses to reminisce those feelings. There was a time when someone had meant the world to him but it ended with broken promises and a bitter goodbye; he definitely wasn’t going to focus on that. Not now.

He sees his mother’s kind eyes, as she walks out the door, and he wonders if she knew that’s what he needed to hear to motivate him, how she had subtly said she believed in him, without saying it, masking it with selfless, genuine words.

There is no way he could possibly reply to her, so he doesn’t. It is enough to get him moving. Biting back a combination of heavy emotions, too much to handle this early, he gets ready.

*****

**“Maybe you’ll let me borrow your heart”**

No one expected them to be thrown together into a band. But, it was a second chance. So, they were more than willing to take the opportunity and try it out.

The youngest was Harry, a curly haired lad, with a confidence about him that was far too unnatural and uncommon for someone his age.

Then there was Niall. He was from Ireland and brought something special to the band. Bursting with optimism, he had an energy about him that no one else in the same vicinity could even dare to match.

Beside Niall stood Louis, who had perfect hair and a smile that seemed to radiate sunshine and he seemed particularly enamored with Harry. He was the kind of person everyone wanted to be best friends with, except maybe not Harry.

Then there were the two brown eyed boys, Liam and Zayn.

Liam was a brunet with a killer voice. The boy was talented and destined for great things; that was a given. How he had not made it further with his incredible audition shocked everyone. But, the others are rather fortunate he didn’t.

There was something about him, though. Maybe it was his uncertainty. If you took a long enough look at him, the concern emerging in those eyes could be plainly seen, as if he were holding on to a fragile secret. Maybe he was still working that out though, attempting to discover the mystery himself.

And Zayn, the dark haired teen from Bradford held a quality not too many people were blessed with: an uncanny way of immediately captivating anyone’s attention with little to no effort. He had the kind of eyes people trusted before they even got to know him.

There was something about him, though. Maybe it was the lack of balance in his life. He was grateful for the things he had, but he knew something was missing. Maybe he was still working that out though, trying to figure out what it was, or who it was, he was searching for.

*****

**“So don’t act like it’s a bad thing to fall in love with me/’Cause you might fuck around and find your dreams come true with me”**

Growing up, Zayn was convinced he did not have a single talent.

Whether drawing or painting or even singing, he was told, “You’re good,” or “Hey, that’s really great,” both of which he considered negative feedback. After all, anyone can be told those things. It felt like what a parent or a teacher said to a bright-eyed child, looking at something mediocre and not wanting to see disappointment do anything to break that proud smile, those huge beaming eyes.

Maybe that’s why coming in first meant so much to him. He wanted to be the best at something.

Because if you were the fastest or jumped the furthest or created the coolest artwork or sang the most impressive solo with complicated riffs, then that had to mean you were the best, right?

They competed on the show and time seemed to go by far too quickly.

It seemed like just the day before he was in the car with his mother, and as she drove to the audition, she made him practice his song twice. But, that was nearly three months ago now.

After weeks of practices, little sleep, inside jokes, deciding songs by flipping coins, gaining a decent-sized fan base, and most importantly, bonding with each other to form a brotherhood of sorts, it all came to the finale… where they finished in third.

The band had not won, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t work their hardest to become the best.

Let’s revisit what being the best means to Zayn. It’s having the ability to do something exceptional or being the greatest right off the bat.

…If that’s the case, then how do you measure love? Is it when you love the other person more, or needless to say, the most? Is it when you can show them in more ways than they can?

No.

Love can’t be measured. That’s ridiculous. It is not a competition.

And technically, he cannot even begin to talk about love when he is nowhere near being able to call Liam his yet.

*****

**“Spent all your time and your money just to find out that my love was free/So don’t act like it’s a bad thing to fall in love with me, me/It’s not a bad thing to fall in love with me, me”**

From the moment Liam knew about Harry and Louis’ relationship, he wanted a love exactly like theirs.

Who cares if it made little sense to him? Honestly, who falls in love that quickly? Who finds their soul mate so easily? Why are they always sneaking glimpses of the other and acting like they’re a part of some fairy tale? Well, they kind of are, aren’t they? That’s the only explanation he’s willing to accept.

And that’s what Liam wants. Even if it confuses him.

For years he has pictured that at the end of the band’s run, he would settle down with some beautiful woman he would somehow manage to casually run into, and in his case it very well could be literally. But, after a handful of albums and maybe some awards, he would have enough money then to support himself and his future spouse. So, they would have a nice, quiet ceremony surrounded by family and friends and then they would find the perfect house and have a couple children.

All he knew for the time being was that he wanted his parents to be proud of him.

He has always been close with the other boys, but those moments when he found Zayn showing subtle affection or sneakily singing to him on stage… those moments lit a special fire in his heart, but he couldn’t come to grips with even the idea of falling for a boy.

So he pushed it away and thought of the faceless woman and the charming home with a little Liam Junior running around.

Still, quite often, his thoughts would drift from him, helplessly.

The woman would turn into Zayn.

The home no longer mattered.

And about the last part, if Liam didn’t have kids the natural way, would that be so crazy? People have surrogates or adopt all the time. Those children aren’t loved any less; actually they’re probably loved more since the parents aren’t able to have their own.

All he ever wanted was to make his parents proud, as proud as he was of them to be able to call them _his_ parents, and they had such a beautiful, easy love of their own.

Little did he know all they cared about was whether their son was truly happy… and presently, Liam didn’t know. Was he?

*****

**“When someone cuts your heart open with a knife, now you’re bleeding”**

It started so simply. The other boys would dare him to change a lyric during a show to something funny or suggestive and it was all fun and games, so they had quite a laugh every time. But the dares grew less silly and more focused on a certain thing, or more… a certain someone. He wasn’t stupid. He knew what they were up to. But, he wasn’t going to say no either.

He slipped innuendos into not one, but two of their songs and the crowd enjoyed it almost as much as the other boys did. He got a high five from Niall, who seemed to enjoy the lyric changes the most, and a fist bump from Louis.

So, the show went on, and everything was going smoothly. He was even starting to relax.

Then came one ridiculous fan question. “Could one of you please serenade the boy of your choice?” Naturally, the question must have been aiming for some cute bromance moment to capture and become something new and fun to talk about.

But, he knew what this was really about. There was no way this was a fan question; Niall must have slipped it in. His heart began to race.

Because obviously they chose him to be the one to serenade someone.

Even better, with a smirk, Niall offered, “How about you sing to the crowd first and we’ll step back… and then you can turn around and one of us will be standing there? It’ll be a fun surprise. Pick whatever song you’d like.”

Freaking out just a little, well, a lot, he began to sing his favorite song of the moment to a couple girls in the front row and then to the rest of the audience, not wanting to turn around. He knew what the boys were planning. He knew who would be standing there.

When he finished the verse, he sang the first part of the chorus as he slowly moved around, slightly hesitating.

Just as he suspected, there he was. A shy, innocent smile.

_Damn you, Niall._

*****

**“And if you fall, you’ll always land right in these arms/These arms of mine”**

It wasn’t an accident like everyone thinks. _I did bend the truth_ , Zayn thinks, but only because there was no way he was going to say what really happened.

He would never do that to Liam. Besides, it was a secret the two of them shared.

See, they _were_ goofing around… if being their usual selves and hanging out, just the two of them, constitutes goofing around. And they agreed it would be easier to write it off as a joke. Well, it was more that Liam strongly suggested it. In fact, Zayn wasn’t even going to bring it up at all, ever, but it was all he could think about.

…And, of course, the interviewer just had to ask if any of them had exchanged kisses.

“It was an accident, really…” Zayn began to say, with a playful tone in his voice, a hint of mischief in his smile. But, the boyish charm was hiding the truth lingering just underneath his dark eyes.

It went down like this:

The two boys were sitting down on a couch one afternoon sifting through some fan mail and a plethora of fan-made things: jewelry, drawings of Harry, clothes with lyrics and original designs on them, and the occasional carrot-related gift for Louis. Because Louis had made a mistake during their X Factor days, and as old as it got, he knew how the fans were, so there was no escaping it.

Zayn picked up a box of cupcakes with each of the boys’ faces on them. He was contemplating a way of picking up the Liam cupcake in a nonchalant way, when he noticed something soft across the table. Out of the corner of his eye, Zayn saw the black and yellow symbol poke through a pile of fan letters. It was a Batman shirt!

He casually grabbed it and hid it beside him as he sat back down next to the other boy, which was easier than he thought it would be, since Liam was far too captivated by a letter someone wrote to him explaining how their music saved her life and that _Leeyum_ was her favorite. He watched as Liam mouthed the words and continued to read along over his shoulder.

Zayn couldn’t help but admire how genuine and kind hearted and gorgeous Liam truly was. Oblivious, maybe. But, gorgeous.

“I never believe these, Zayn.” Liam says in awe, bringing Zayn back from his own thoughts. “Yeah, the fans are incredible, aren’t they? But, Li, you’ve gotta see this. It’s got your name on it.”

He holds up the shirt and the smile on Liam’s face, the one he loves where all his teeth show and his eyes nearly shut, is enough to make Zayn’s heart melt. Sure, it’s mostly because of the shirt… but Zayn brought his attention to it, so he’s taking credit for the beaming grin that he’s sure could literally end any and all world suffering. He’s even smiling to himself as Liam takes the shirt out of his hands, but all of a sudden the shirt is replaced with warm, soft hands. Liam’s hands.

Quiet words rush from Liam’s lips, “You know, I’m so thankful we were put into this band, Zayn. To think if we weren’t, I might’ve never met you.”

That alone made Zayn’s stomach flip, but he barely had time to register it when he felt Liam’s lips beautifully crash down onto his own.

It ended in a flash, but was somehow gentle and Zayn could barely breathe as he opened his eyes. When he did, he slightly regretted it. He should have savored the moment a little longer.

The boy was quite a sight. Liam’s cheeks were bright red, and he was touching his lips with a frantic look his eyes, staring down at his lap.

“Liam…” Zayn carefully started to say. Liam’s eyes darted quickly at him, startled like a deer in headlights, and he bit his lip, then quickly pleaded, “Oh my god, Zayn. I’m sorry. I don’t know why I did that. But, please, please don’t tell anyone. Or laugh it off if anyone asks, I guess. Please,”

He’s off the couch now, slowly backing away towards the door and continues to say, “I can’t believe… It doesn’t-

“Shit, this wasn’t supposed-

“God, Zayn. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” he mutters, looking guilty… like a puppy that was caught disobeying orders, and with that, he’s out the door.

Zayn puts his head in his hands and knows he’s wrong for thinking Liam looked like a guilty puppy. Liam had done nothing wrong, so there was no reason to look guilty.

They just kissed, for crying out loud! It’s what he has wanted for the longest time. He should be on cloud nine. It could technically be called their first kiss… and _Liam_ had initiated it. That had to have meant something.

But, Liam was clearly frazzled and as unprepared as Zayn was. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply, thinking.

All that mattered was seeing how upset Liam got about it and needing to fix it, to make him happy. He couldn’t stand being the reason why the other boy was in a frenzy. Pushing away all thoughts of Liam’s lovely mouth pressing against his, he decided to go find the boy and do what he could to explain his feelings once and for all. Well, maybe not that. He was definitely not quite ready for that.

But the least he could do is reassure Liam that it could stay a secret between them… and if it was ever brought up, he’d handle it because he would gladly do anything Liam asked him to. This obviously includes him gladly walking on water, moving mountains with a smile… you name it.

*****

**“But I could be that guy to heal it over time/And I won’t stop until you believe it/’Cause baby you’re worth it”**

It was just another typical writing session, except it wasn’t typical at all.

No.

A normal day of songwriting would be Liam and Louis playing football and brainstorming ideas for verses and determining who should sing what based on everyone’s vocal ranges.

“ _Why can’t it be easy and fun like one of those days_ ,” he thought.

Because here he was sitting against a wall with a notebook and pen, one leg bent, the other stretched out.

And instead of a football under the foot of his stretched out leg, there was a lap.

And instead of Louis, the owner of the lap was Zayn. Better yet, his hands were rubbing his foot.

Perfect.

Liam couldn’t handle Zayn frequently looking up at him while tickling his leg, so he brought both knees up to his chest and took a deep breath.

He needed to concentrate and Zayn wasn’t helping.

All of a sudden, Niall came strolling into the room. He spotted the two of them and winked, stating, “Look at you two, the love birds,” and both boys immediately froze. It didn’t even register for either boy when Niall continued, “I’m just grabbing my guitar.” As soon as he left, Liam jumped up and nearly shouted, “I need to go talk with Louis. He had a brilliant idea for a chorus.”

He didn’t dare look back at Zayn, who was probably sitting there confused right where he left him.

Finding Louis was not difficult. He was always with Harry, and Harry was always in or nearby the closest kitchen he could find since he loved cooking for his boyfriend and the other boys.

Harry was just putting something in the oven and then Liam walked in to see them kissing and giggling.

“I’m so sorry about interrupting, but Louis, I need to talk to you. It’s urgent,” Liam mumbled, and Louis nodded, looking worried.

They left as Harry started talking to himself about making some fancy dessert and began throwing things into a bowl.

“What’s up?” Louis asked, pulling Liam into the hallway.

Liam didn’t know where to begin so he just started saying things, hoping it would all make sense to the older boy.

He tells him about the songwriting moment that just happened because that’s easy, “We were writing a song, well, I was. But, he was there with me. I don’t even know why. He had my foot in his lap, Lou, and I couldn’t think. He was like, massaging it and stuff and tickling my leg. Then Niall had to come into the room to get his guitar, which wasn’t a big deal, but he just had to open his mouth. LOUIS, HE CALLED US LOVE BIRDS. So, I just got up and left. I didn’t even look at him. Oh, hell. I told him you wanted to run a chorus by me. He’s literally going to hate me.” By this point, his voice is cracking and he’s almost shouting.

Very calmly, Louis teased, “Wow, it could have been worse, Li. Really. Niall could’ve been way more immature about it. It wasn’t smart of him to say it, but you know how Niall is. But, don’t worry about that now. I’m sure Zayn has forgotten all about it and is wondering why you left him all alone. I had a chorus for you? That’s a shit excuse, I must say. But, at least, one good thing can be taken from it all.”

“Really, what?” Liam wondered.

“Mr. Malik was flirting with you, dear Liam,” Louis pointed out, quite amused. Liam had a puzzled expression, so he continued on, “Yeah. You said he had your foot in his lap AND he was touching you. If he was honestly trying to affect your writing process, he would have just sat there and bugged you with those intentionally annoying questions he likes to pull out of nowhere to piss us all off. You know the ones only he knows the answers to because he’s read so many books?”

It always made Liam feel better to talk with Louis and now was no exception. He blushed at the thought of Zayn flirting with him, if that was what it was, and then thanked Louis for listening and comforting him.

As Louis headed back to the kitchen to check on Harry, Liam promised himself he’d go back to Zayn and apologize for running out.

But, the rush he felt when Zayn’s fingers were running over his leg and that cheeky smile of his that sent shivers up his spine, he would keep all to himself.

The thoughts crept back into his mind. His future and what it should look like versus how he wanted it to be returned.

There was a formula to it all, he had decided at an early age. Love has rules. It’s always a man and a woman. The man should be taller, maybe older, and can be exactly what the woman needs. He grew up thinking men and women fall in love and have children. That was the norm and he dreamt of a brick house with a pool, a child running in the backyard with a dog, cuddling on the couch with his wife.

Yes, that started to seem way less complicated than the emotions he was experiencing right now.

But, it tugged and pulled. This instinct, this realization that whatever that dream was composed of was immensely weak in comparison to what he could have with Zayn Malik.

He was such a mess.

And don’t even get him started on that kiss from a few days ago. As far as he was concerned, it never happened. Zayn, being the wonderful person he is, even promised the whole thing would be forgotten. Well, his exact words were a bit different, “I’ll take care of it, if it ever comes up.”

So, that was essentially the same thing to Liam.

If it was handled as Zayn assured him it would be, then why couldn’t Liam stop thinking about how great it was kissing him? Honestly, he knows it was impulsive and stupid and reckless, but oh, it was great.

*****

**“Every morning I just wanna see you staring back at me/’Cause I know that’s a good place to start”**

Now Liam, he likes for things to make sense. And, yeah, there was one thing not making sense.

He called it the “Zayn situation” because labeling it a crush is not quite enough but saying it’s an obsession makes him sound like a stalker. He knows what he is feeling is strong, but the whole thing has always felt more like a mystery to him.

Ignorance is not bliss. He likes living in the know. It makes things better, and being around predictable personalities makes it easier to prepare himself.

Why worry about failing a test, if you know you haven’t studied enough? Why risk falling in love if you know the other person is ultimately going to cheat on you? Why waste the time doing this or that, even if it ends up being worth it, if you know you won’t remember or care years from now?

He has seen all of these scenarios play out in front of his eyes and he needs the clarity.

It’s such a cliché statement but ‘knowledge is power’ and when he isn’t aware of something or not let in on a punchline, he can get reckless. Destroying his own sanity to find minuscule truths.

So, when Zayn had decided to tell him and admit his feelings for Liam, it became clear. He finally understood all of those touches and the smiles that were just for him.

Ironically, Liam was also at a point where he was finally coming to terms with who he was.

You could even say he “figured it out.”

They were the little pieces of the puzzle that made it overwhelmingly clear what Zayn was trying to tell him for quite some time though neither quite knew the words for it, at least not at first.

Oh, but now they did. And Liam was definitely going to see where it led.

Would it be such a bad thing to say he had always felt special having Zayn’s attention? That, for whatever reason, it made sense to tell Zayn something first?

*****

**“Said all I want from you is to see you tomorrow/And every tomorrow”**

Their first date was at McDonald’s. The other boys were a few tables over. Romantic, huh?

They were traveling to the next city on the tour and they stopped there for fast food.

McDonald’s had always been special for these two. It’s where they first met before their time on X Factor. Well, not so much “met,” more just sneaking glances at the other for being so intriguing. They exchanged names and awkwardly shook hands. Liam walked away, wanting to be friends with the Bradford boy. Zayn had walked away, wishing to be more eventually. Neither knew they would soon have the chance to get to know one another a couple weeks later when One Direction would be officially formed.

The restaurant was going to be cleared out just for the band and crew to eat peacefully and the tacky curtains would be drawn so no one could look in. Since when did fast food places have curtains? They must have gotten them just because they had been warned in advance that the boys had wanted to eat there. _Curtains really aren’t necessary_ , Zayn decided, _we’re not worth it. We already ordered over the phone. We could have just sent Paul in to get the food and eaten on the tour bus._

Zayn paused his thoughts and noticed Liam watching him. He smiled at him and they held hands as they walked in. The others had spoken with Paul and guided him to a table near the counter as Liam headed Zayn towards a table near the corner.

There was a flower on the table and Zayn looked over at the other boys and saw Harry wink at him. _Oh, Lord._ He and Liam had talked about going on an official date now that they were together, but he wasn’t expecting it to be over greasy French fries. Of course, he wasn’t going to get in the way of what he expected Liam to find sentimental for the two of them.

Paul came over with two cheeseburgers and announced, “We’re only staying for 30 minutes, boys. Make sure to use the bathroom. Stretch your legs after you eat because we’ve got another four hours on the bus before we reach the next hotel. And, uh, you know, enjoy your food…” He looked like a Dad as he said it. Both boys smiled at him and politely nodded. Paul said one final thing before walking away, “Also, I hope you like the flower. It’s dumb, I know. But, Harry picked it. My idea, though… Okay, remember: 30 minutes!”

Zayn and Liam looked at each other and gushed over the purple flower that decorated the table. It was an excellent ice breaker because there were definitely ‘first date’ nerves.

Sure, the occasional fear slipped in for both of them.

_What if he doesn’t like me as much as he thought he did? What if he realizes he just wants to be friends? What if I don’t want more? What if one of us continues to fall and the other no longer cares? What if, what if, what if…_

These thoughts came to mind, and they left as quickly as they entered.

They talked about everything and for whatever reason, the awkwardness of typical first dates never came. When the half hour had come to an end, they returned to the tour bus holding hands, and both boys silently realized whatever was between them was something quite special. They were going to hold on to it for as long as they could, and if the next date went half as well as the first one did, then this was truly the start of something extraordinary and magical.

*****

**“Now how about I’d be the last voice you hear tonight?/And every night for the rest of the nights that there are”**

Zayn promised himself that if everything went according to plan, he would let Liam be the first one to say “I love you,” so as not to intimidate him after being the one to initially declare his feelings.

He knew it could take some time.

But, Zayn was surprised when the moment came as early as it did… and it was beautiful.

He remembers the way Liam raced over to him. It was just another show, but the energy was unlike any of the previous ones. _The adrenaline is always nice_ , he thinks, since it helps with the nerves and then there is a healthy rush for about an hour after. That’s usually when the five of them talk about how it went and any plans for the next one. They always end up having a laugh and realizing how fortunate they were to be put into a band. That alone could lead any of the boys into their own versions of conspiracy theories and how powerful fate is, whether they would have met under other circumstances, and it is a unanimous opinion that they all like to think so.

But, all of that gets blurry around the edges.

All Zayn can think about is the shape of Liam’s lips when it was just the two of them, his quiet voice, somehow strong, and Zayn can see it in Liam’s brave eyes a second before he confirms it, but he won’t let it show. He keeps his head down and folds his hands.

As excited as he is, this moment is Liam’s.

“I love you, Zayn. I think I always knew deep down, but you know… I was dealing with my own, well, you already know this, but yeah, I love you. I love you,” He stammers and rushes through it, but he’s repeating it enough that Zayn knows his ears are not deceiving him.

While it is Liam’s moment, he can’t contain his love and his heart is bursting. He glances at Liam now and murmurs, “I love you too, Li.”

Maybe it’s all that adrenaline? Haha, but they got what they both needed to hear in that beautiful moment.

*****

**“No, I won’t fill your mind/With broken promises and wasted time”**

Days came and went, and as Zayn and Liam’s relationship continued to grow, management started to become more concerned as predicted.

“The fans are noticing too much,” Liam pointed out. Zayn agreed and chuckled nervously, “It’s almost like we’re the next Harry and Louis.” Rolling his eyes, Liam softly offered, “Yeah, we kind of are. We’re just as strong as them, so we can handle anything _they_ might throw at us. But, we’re different than them also because our story is just a tad more realistic and relatable, so I’m rooting for us; I like our odds.”

Shortly after, both boys were given significant others and roles to perform in the public eye.

While it felt forced and probably looked laughable, it was necessary and they hoped their fans understood the industry was complicated. Sometimes, making music and meeting fans meant more than their own happiness, even if they had to bend the truth to the general public.

If the relationships were announced, that could be taken away, so they kept silent and paraded around, holding the hands of girls who could only be considered close friends, smiling at cameras and looking as in love as they could, and doing their best to shade the truth when asked about their love lives in interviews.

Yes, it was hard at times, especially when they had to kiss for a genuine-looking photo. But, the women knew it all and made it easier on them.

Here’s the thing, the “girlfriend” and the “fiancée” saw how in love Liam and Zayn were, and they knew it would all work out.

They were rooting for the two men; they liked their odds.

*****

**“And is it too much to ask for every Sunday?/And while we’re at it, throw in every other day to start”**

The best part about Zayn and Liam’s love were the lessons they taught each other.

It no longer mattered to Liam for everything to make sense. Zayn gave him answers to questions he didn’t even know he wanted to ask, and everything else that he once designated as ‘things he must know,’ he deemed unimportant. The older boy showed him that life was going to hand him a couple things, but mostly launch surprises shooting from left and right. It made Liam inquisitive and he used it to motivate him.

As for Zayn, coming in first was no longer a priority. If something took time, he didn’t rush. Liam showed him that success is determined more by improvement than talent alone. He encouraged Zayn to make mistakes to gain new experiences and he found he discovered more about himself by doing so.

They were a couple that had a habit of balancing each other out, in all aspects, through the good and the bad.

They had doubts along the way, as most couples do. It came in these forms:

“Does he really love me?”

…which of course, the other did. Endlessly.

“Am I good enough?”

…which of course, they both were. Completely.

“What if I somehow forget a birthday or an anniversary or a relative’s name?”

…which never happened. Obviously.

And the most reoccurring thought, though neither ever dared to voice it in fear of breaking what was so precious, “Is our love strong enough to survive?”

…which, yeah, you guessed it. It was and it did; in fact, it continues on.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me first thank you for taking the time to read this! 
> 
> When I first started writing, I honestly didn’t think I’d even hit 1k! But, damn you, Ziam. Lol.  
> Here, take a peek at my writing process, if you'd like: My thoughts literally woke me up around 3 AM a few nights ago, and it continued to write itself so there went any sleep for me until it got finished. I got about half of it written in those seven hours. Over the next few days I kept thinking of things I wanted to add, so it got progressively longer than I originally intended it to be.  
> (There are 12 sections in this 5k one shot, and I wrote the beginning, sections 3, 4, 8, 10, and the ending first, albeit not in that order. Sections 2 and 7 were among the last. And one final fact? The very first sentence I wrote for this fic is the beginning line of Section 10.) 
> 
> While each section had its own featured lyrics, the title is taken from the first verse, which I will include here because I wrapped the entire basis of the fic around these beginning lines: 
> 
> “Said all I want from you is to see you tomorrow  
> And every tomorrow, maybe you'll let me borrow your heart  
> And is it too much to ask for every Sunday  
> And while we're at it, throw in every other day to start” 
> 
> Okay, that’s all. I really hope you liked reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. (Oh, and I may or may not have an idea for a potential angsty sequel to this, if any of you lovely readers would be interested.)


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